


The Sweetest Intervention

by lorir_writes



Series: Meant To Be (Desire & Decorum AU) [11]
Category: Desire & Decorum (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Mild Sexual Content, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:22:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23601499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorir_writes/pseuds/lorir_writes
Summary: Emotions come to surface when Daphne arrives in Istanbul.
Relationships: Hamid/Main Character (Desire & Decorum)
Series: Meant To Be (Desire & Decorum AU) [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1245821
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Part 1

A chilly winter breeze blew against Daphne’s skin as she stepped out of the hotel, trying to remind herself it’s improper to put her hands on her pockets or fold her arms. She looked at the busy avenue in bewilderment. She knew Istanbul is the biggest city in Europe, but it was like the articles she read and all the things Yusuf and Hamid told her came to view all at once. The smell of spices, street food and oriental fragrances filled her lungs as people passed by on the street. Many of them stared at her. Cats strolled everywhere and were always greeted with smiles, cat food and fondles. It was odd and sweet at the same time. Everything in the city told her a lot about her favourite Istanbulite.

As she spotted a friendly face stepping out of a luxurious SUV, she beamed and sauntered over, greeting him with a kiss on one cheek.

“Welcome to Istanbul, Daphne,” Yusuf smiled.

“Thank you! I hope I didn’t leave you waiting for too long. I needed to freshen up before going to the hospital.”

“It’s all right, I took the time to have tea and reply a few emails,” he smiled. After opening the door for her, he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

“Did you tell anyone else I was coming?”

“Aside from my brother and Sevim, no one else knows you’re here,” he answered. From the corner of the eye, he glanced at the lady idly toying with wrapping around the red tulips and roses bouquet on her lap. “Those are lovely flowers. Hamid certainly will like them.”

“I hope so. I honestly don’t know if he’ll be happy to know that I chose to be here instead of making amends with my grandmother as he asked me to.”

“I’m sure he will be happy to see you. Soon you will see why he insists on it. Family is important to him and his default behaviour towards conflicts is find a way to compromise.”

Daphne chewed on a nail. “Do you think he’ll be upset that I didn’t stay and tried to fix things with my grandmother?”

“It’s possible,” he said as he stopped at the traffic light. “But he’ll understand if you need time to think before talking to her again.”

“Yeah, father said I should do that, but I’m not so good at compromising.”

“I see,” Yusuf nodded. “This is something you can learn with him. Your relationship is new, but I think you two have a lot to know and learn with each other. It’s what makes the two of you so good together.”

“Is it the fandom opinion or yours?” Her lips curled up.

“I can’t speak for the entire fandom, but as Damid fan number two and moderator of the group chat, I believe they would agree with me,” he explained with a grin, though his attention remained on the heavy traffic.

“Number two?”

“I’m done fighting for number one with Briar and Bart,” he lifted one hand pretending to be on his guard.

Daphne let out a chuckle that easily faded. “I know I didn’t seem to be fully invested in this relationship as much as he has always been, but I really like us,” she sighed, doing her best to hold back tears. 

“I understand,” he gave a gentle pat on her shoulder. “I’m rooting for the two of you.”

“Thank you,” she replied with a weak smile. “I hope he gives me fewer heartaches in the future because this first week was _not_ easy." 

"Now I can speak for everyone when I say that we all hope you can rub your indoorsy traits on him.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“In the name of our growing Damid fandom and all of his friends who haven’t joined it yet, I appreciate it,” Yusuf looked at Daphne’s with a smile and switched lanes, parking right in front of the hospital. “We’re here.”

“Really? Didn’t we just get in the car?”

“I told you I booked you the closest hotel to the hospital,” he grinned.

“We could’ve walked here.”

“And we would’ve got here faster, but I have a few documents Hamid asked me to bring here and I’m also helping a friend moving to a new place.”

“Well, aren’t you a good friend? And speaking of which,” Daphne unbuckled her seat belt and fished a small gift box from her coat pocket. “Since it’s almost Christmas, here you go.”

Yusuf received the box, admiring the red and white twine wrapped around the kraft paper. “You didn’t have to.”

“This gift is from somebody else. I’m just the delivery girl.”

Undoing the bow and tearing the wrapping, he opened the box and his brows furrowed whilst he eyed the green wool scarf.

“I believe you must be familiar with the tradition of couples using matching sweaters for Christmas.”

“Yes.”

“Well, Bart would never agree to wear a tacky Christmas sweater. But he wouldn’t say no to a nice designer scarf.”

The diplomat’s features softened as he touched the soft fabric.

“Make sure to you wear it on your next video chat,” she winked and opened the door to step out of the car.

After picking a documents folder from the backseat, Yusuf followed the lady. “Are you playing cupid, Daphne?" 

"If it helps to bring my OTP together, why not?” She shrugged with a smile.

As the two of them walked into the hospital reception, Yusuf briefly chatted in Turkish with the receptionist, who seem to know who he was. While he translated the conversation between the clerk and Daphne, a man in his twenties wearing a lab coat approached them.

“Daphne, this is Ali Konevi, my brother.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Dr Konevi,” Daphne extended her hand to the man.

“Pleased to meet you as well.” He replied with a firm handshake. “And please. Just Ali is fine.”

“Okay,” she simpered. “I know this is all part of your job and you’ve been friends with Hamid for years, but I’m grateful you were there to provide medical first aid. Thank you for everything.”

He looked at her as if taken aback by her words and smiled. “Of course.”

“Have you seen him today? How is he?”

“He’s fine. His tests didn’t show any signs of permanent damage due to the concussion, but Dr Delin decided to keep an eye on him for one more day, just to be safe.”

“Abi¹ may be fine, but he’s getting bored. I need all the help I can get with that knobhead,” a female young girl sauntered over. “You must be Daphne. Hi, I’m Sevim. Thank you so much for coming,” she grinned and offering a handshake.

“Yes, I am. Hi there,” Daphne answered with a smile.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t know what else I can do to keep him distracted,” Sevim headed a sigh.

“He’s not that bad,” Ali chortled. “Hamid can get a little moody when he’s not travelling or socializing. His parents usually help with that, yet both of them on business trips.”

“And we think your pretty face will be the solution,” the girl gave Daphne a meaningful look.

“All right. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Great!” Sevim smiled and guided her brother’s girlfriend to the elevator with Yusuf and Ali in tow. After going up for a few minutes, the four of them stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hallway. “Daphne, do you mind if I go home for today? We’re all staying here for a while to help Hamid because can’t walk on his own, but I’m kinda beat.”

“Sure. You’ve been for the last couple of days, you deserve to take a shower and sleep on your own bed tonight. Don’t worry about it. I’ll stay here until he gets discharged and ask a nurse if I need help.”

“Thank you!” Sevim beamed then turned to the siblings. “You guys go ahead. Daphne and I will wait for the signal.”

The two men nodded and entered the private room. 

“Merhaba!"² Ali smiled.

"Geçmiş olsun!"³ Yusuf approached the bed to greet his friend. "İşte imzalamanız gereken belgeler."₄ 

"Çok teşekkür ederim, abi,"₅ Hamid answered with a smile as he started to look into the documents and sign.

"How are you feeling today?” The doctor asked.

“I’m fine and ready to go home,” he gave his friends a knowing look.

“Abi, we just found the perfect nurse for you,” Ali insisted.

“Yes. She’s quite efficient on her job and she’s tough enough to keep you on your toes,” Yusuf added.

“Is that supposed to convince me to behave until I get discharged?” Hamid raised an eyebrow as he handed back the folder with documents to his friend.

“I could mention all her traits and qualifications, but you won’t believe me until you meet her, so let’s just bring her in, shall we?” Yusuf grinned.

Hamid simply gave his shoulders. But when his friend opened the door again, his eyes sparkled with joy. “Daphne…” he mumbled as his girlfriend followed Sevim into the room and ambled over to his direction, holding a delicate bouquet of red tulips and red roses.

“Geçmiş olsun, Hamid bey,” she said with a smile, her eyes getting glossy as she gave him the flowers, ran her hand through his hair and kissed his temple.

Hamid closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, then held her hand, kissing her knuckles. It hasn’t been so long since they last saw each other, yet he couldn’t contain his joy. She was everything he needed.

“Now I get why they have a fandom,” Sevim murmured to Yusuf, who simply chuckled.

The couple shared coy smiles and blushed at her comment.

“Well, since our nurse is approved, I’ll see myself out,” Ali announced, heading towards the door. 

“I’ll take these documents with me,” Yusuf smirked 

“And I’ll get water for the flowers,” Sevim grabbed the bouquet. 

As the of them said their goodbyes and left the room, Hamid patted the empty spot next to him on the bed for Daphne to sit.

“Are you sure?”

“No. I’d rather have you sitting on my lap as usual but I know you won’t do that just because I had surgery,” he smirked.

Giggling, she took a seat on the bed and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. But as soon as he responded to the embrace, the warmth of his arms elicited mixed feelings inside her. Daphne buried her face on the crook his neck and began to sob.

“Daphne?” His brows furrowed as he felt small drops on his shoulder. “Are you crying?” He tried to pull away to look at her, but her grip around him grew tighter, hands balling on his hospital gown. 

“I missed you.”

He smiled softly and tightened the embrace. “I missed you too.”

“Please don’t do this again,” she begged.

“I won’t. I promise,” he kissed her shoulder, soothing her as she melted into arms. “I’m sorry, aşkım. Can you forgive me?”

Daphne nodded, then pulled away to look at him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m more than okay now." 

"You’re not lying to me, are you? What about your head? Do you have any other bruises?” She cupped his face and turned his head to the sides, then looked at his neck and visible parts of shoulders and arms.

“Should I take off the gown so you can have a better look?” He teased.

Daphne narrowed her eyes. 

“I’m fine. I don’t feel a thing,” he grinned. “Though I have to say I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you were going to stay in Edgewater and talk to your grandmother.”

She pressed her lips together. “I need time to think about it.”

“I understand you’re hurt and don’t want to talk about it,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Just don’t forget she still is your grandmother and this animosity isn’t good just for the two of you. It can be hurtful to your father and your brother as well.”

“Mmhmmm.” She heaved a sigh and rested her head on his shoulder.

“So… You didn’t tell me how long you’re staying.”

“I’ll go back tomorrow night.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you’re going home tomorrow. You’ll have your family and your friends to take care of you.”

“You can’t stay for less than a week here. Istanbul is amazing! You have to stay and explore the city.”

“Tempting, but the jet comes to pick me up tomorrow. Besides, my favourite tour guide can’t even put his left foot on the floor for at least a week, let alone take me to see the sights,” Daphne gave him a knowing look.

“And this is why you should stay for a week.”

“Christmas is in three days, Hamid.”

“You can celebrate it with me and stay until morning with plenty of time to arrive for dinner with your family. Isn’t it what you wished we could do together?”

“Yeah…” she bit down her bottom, unsure of what to say next.

“Look, I get that I might be pushing my luck with your family, especially your grandmother, who already seems so fond of me,” he made a face, making Daphne chuckle. “But all I’m asking for is two more days. I was really looking forward to seeing you on New Year’s Eve. I had so many things planned for us. After the accident, it hurts me to think we had to cancel everything because I can’t travel to see you next week and I can’t even to go back to Cornell with you. Having you here during your favourite holiday can be our only chance to be together for a while.”

The lady frowned, pondering the possibility of wasting such a unique opportunity, then looked at her boyfriend, squaring her shoulders. “You know what? I’m calling dad right now,” she said, producing her phone from her coat pocket. “And you’d better tell your mother about us because I’m coming to visit you whenever I can.”

Hamid grinned and gave a small kiss on his girlfriend’s while she waited for her father to answer the phone. “Yes, ma'am.”

_____

¹ Brother

² Hello

³ Get well soon

₄ Here are the documents you have to sign

₅ Thank you very much, brother


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the hospital private room, Hamid and Daphne spend the day doing nothing but watching TV and talking.

“Done,” Daphne beamed as she hung up the phone. “The jet will be here to take me back to Edgewater in three days, right after breakfast.”

“Thank you,” Hamid enveloped his girlfriend in a tight embrace.

“Now I have to call the hotel to extend my stay for two more days.”

She was about to search for the hotel phone number, but Hamid snatched the device from her hands.

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Hamid, I’m not going to stay at your family’s house, given that your mother doesn’t even know I exist.”

He let out a rueful laugh. “Oh, she knows. The only thing she doesn’t know is that our relationship isn’t just a fling like she assumes it is.”

“Gee, I wonder why,” she rested her chin in one hand and narrowed her eyes. “Maybe it’s because you ran to the hills when she tried to press for information,” she taunted.

“This is slander, Lady Daphne! I did not run,” he playfully glared at her. “I go on this trip with my friends from uni every year and anne¹ didn’t ask anything. I can call several witnesses to prove it.”

“Uh-huh,” she gave him a side glance, still smiling.

Still pretending to be annoyed, his face turned into a scowl whilst his hand slowly delved under her coat and moved up, reaching for the spots on her body where she’s ticklish. Daphne squealed and tried to pull away, but he held her in place. His fingers pulled her scarf away and softly grazed her skin. He leaned in to place small kisses on her neck that quickly grew deeper.

She lolled her head back as tingles ran down her spine. “I thought you were going to torture me because I called you out.”

“Who says I’m not?” He whispered, pushed her coat off her shoulders, throwing it on the nearest chair as his lips moving up to her ear.

“Stop it,” she scolded and slapped one of his hands away as he tried to reach under her sweater.

He pulled away with laughing.

“We’re in a hospital because you just had a surgery and we’re not passing first base.”

“That was almost thirty-six hours ago,” he scoffed.

“And you’re still not off the hook, Osmanoğlu. I have to call the hotel.”

“I know,” he kissed her cheek. “I’ll talk to anne when she arrives and handle your stay here. I asked you to extend your visit, it’s the least I can do. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now, about those baseball metaphors,” he said, placing his hands on her waist. “I never memorized all the bases.” He peppered kisses along her jaw then pressed his lips on hers. “You’ll have to explain the rules more thoroughly to me if you want me to follow them,” he murmured and winked.

Daphne shoved him playfully. “You only need to know the first one, which is what we were doing and nothing is going to happen beyond that.”

“But you said your mission here is to distract me. I’m just doing what we usually do to distract each other,” he grinned, resting one hand on her hip.

“Nice try, but this isn’t a Grey’s Anatomy episode. Settle down,” she said, pushing his hand away.

He chuckled. “Fine. What should we do now?”

“We’re going to watch TV.”

“Well, in this case, I want to watch the game I missed,” he reached for his mobile on the side table and started searching for his favourite team football match on sports channels.

“You haven’t watched it yet?”

“I tried, but as you know, I spent most of the time sleeping yesterday because of the meds.”

“Perhaps we could start watching something lighter right now and then we go to the heavy stuff.”

“Heavy stuff? What is that suppose to mean?”

“Nothing. You just get overly excited about football and I thought it’d be wiser to watch something else.”

“No, I still prefer to watch the game now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I'm—” he trailed off as he noticed her making a face. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“That face doesn’t mean nothing. Did you watch it?”

“Maybe…”

“Maybe?”

“I was impatient because you didn’t call me, so, during the movie marathon with my brothers, I watched a few clips on Eurosport app and checked the score from time to time. I thought you haven’t called me then because the match was exciting and you lost track of time.”

“Was it exciting?”

“Um…” She scratched the back of her neck. “That depends on what you call exciting.”

“Did something happened during the game?” He lifted one hand up to stop his girlfriend from saying anything. “On second thought, nevermind. I don’t want to know. I’m watching the game anyway.”

“Okay,” Daphne shrugged, pressing her lips together to hide a smile.

A couple of hours later, an outraged Hamid balled both hands into fists as the football match ended. “Arrrgh!!! Dalyarak!” He yelled, turning off the TV. When he looked to the side, he spotted his girlfriend sitting the chair near his bed covering her mouth with one hand. “Daphne?”

“Mmm?” She looked up at her boyfriend.

“You can stop pretending you’re not laughing. I can hear your giggles from up here, you know.”

She stood up and sat on the bed with him, still trying to stifle a smile. “I’m sorry.”

“What an awful game,” he groaned in frustration. “An even score of zero?! Ugh…”

“That’s how sports work,” she said, idly combing his hair with her fingers. “Some days your favourite team is the best and some other days the opposite team is best.”

He glanced at her with a curious look. “I thought you’d be mad at me.”

“How come?”

“I got injured, made you cry and lose sleep just because of this game. I expected some scolding at the very least.”

“I won’t scold you. I wish you haven’t done that, but I’m not going to lash out at you because you trusted your experience driving on wet roads to go back home and watch a football match. I just want you to learn something from all this,” she answered, kissing his temple. “Besides, I think the fact that you injured your ankle, you can’t drive or make any long-distance travels and Beşiktaş not getting qualified to join Euro Cup will have a bigger effect on you than my scolding.”

He grimaced. “Did you really have to rub it on my face?”

“Mmhmm.”

Hamid placed a hand on his chest, pretending to be wounded. “You’re hurting me.”

“Aww…” She cupped his face and leaned in to give him a kiss. “All better?”

“I’ll probably survive if you give me a few more of those,” he pouted.

Still grinning, she pulled him closer, dotting kisses over his face until a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

“Will you join me in here so we watch something together?”

“Sure.” She hugged his arm, sighing contently. But as he grabbed the remote control to turn on the TV again, something piqued her curiosity. “Hamidciğim?"²

"Yes?”

“What does that word you were yelling during the game mean?”

His eyes went round, but he quickly composed himself. “Which one?”

“Dal… Dalyal…” She squinted her eyes trying to remember the word.

“Oh… That one,” he scratched the back of his head.

“It’s a swear word, isn’t it?”

He averted his gaze as his cheeks begun to flush crimson.

“I knew it,” she smirked and pulled him closer as he shook his head. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve seen you say profanities several times. I just noticed you say that one a lot when you’re watching football.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” He simpered. “It means jerk.”

“That’s it? Why are you so flustered then?”

“Because I had a mental image of its literal translation.”

“Which is…?”

“I’m not going to say it.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s obscene.”

“All swear words are.”

“Believe me, swear words in Turkish reach a whole new level of obscenity.”

“Oh, now I’m even more curious.” A broad grin spread on her face.

“Allah, Allah…” His eyes went upwards.

“You don’t have to tell me about the other words. Just that one you were yelling. Please?”

“No.”

“Pretty please?” She batted her lashes.

“Fine,” he sighed, facepalming before clearing his throat to speak. “Dalyarak means dick swinger.”

Her jaw dropped.

“I know.”

“That’s wild…” A broad grin spread on her lips. “And so awesome.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“No. I like it. It’s unique.”

“And highly offensive.”

“Exactly!” She enthused.

Hamid burst out laughing. “You’re so weird. In the best possible way I could’ve ever imagined someone would be, of course. But still really weird.”

“You’re welcome,” she beamed.

Hamid guffawed, then cupped her chin, kissing her softly. “All right, let’s return to our day watching TV. What’s your suggestion?”

“I’m so glad you asked,” she smirked and picked her phone, opening Quickflix app and tapping the first option on the screen.

“Love Island UK?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Yes. There’s drama, comedy, fights and beautiful people. What more do we need?” She beamed and pressed play.

He gave her an amused look.

“Don’t judge me. I was waiting for the jet to arrive and a girl at the airport was fangirling at the couple who won the first season because they were there waiting for a flight to the Bahamas and she got me addicted to it.”

He chortled. “Okay, let’s see what’s the deal with this reality show.”

Lying down on the bed, the couple began to watch the show, making jokes and comments about it. Before they knew, several hours passed and they were completely drawn to it, only making pauses for meals, bathroom breaks or whenever a nurse came in to check on Hamid.

“Did he really couple up with Jane without talking to Jen? Ugh…” Daphne curled her lips in a scowl.

“I guess he’s not that good with discussing relationships. But Jen also sensed Levi was going to pick Jane. She could’ve talked to him about that,” he commented.

“Yeah… Maybe she was hoping he’d change his mind about Jane and stay with her?”

“Maybe… Either way, he was the one who had to break up. Jane is right to call him out,” he glanced at the TV for a second and smirked. “Though it looks likes all is forgiven between them.”

“How so?”

Hamid nodded towards the screen. In the show, the couple they just talked about shared a hungry kiss while disrobing each other and getting into bed.

“It’s weird how they sleep with people they met for less than two weeks…”

“I guess notions of time and intimacy change for people trapped in a villa with someone they’re attracted to twenty-four seven. Besides, both of them mentioned they had one night stands before, so it wouldn’t be so unexpected of them to celebrate the fact they’re finally together with sex.”

Daphne glanced at the TV screen and at her boyfriend and blushed softly.

He smirked. “What is it?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“But that curious look on your face says a lot,” he implied.

“I don’t have a look,” she objected.

“Yes, you do.”

“I do not!”

“Daphne, whatever it is, you can ask me. I don’t mind,” he said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

After a brief silence, she gazed at her boyfriend. “Have you had one night stands?”

“Yes. It’s not my style though.”

“Really?” Her eyes went wide.

“Should I be worried that you’re surprised?” A corner of his mouth quirked up.

“No! I just…” She furrowed her brows, trying to choose her words carefully without showing how embarrassed she felt. “You’re so handsome and popular, you’re a flirt by nature… I thought you’d have some casual dates from time to time.”

“I did. And yes, I do use those traits to get what I want and I can’t deny these casual encounters fulfil their propose of momentaneous relief and pleasure. But something about being with someone I truly care about ignites desire in a way it wouldn’t happen with a person I just met. The exchange of looks, the touch, the smell… It’s different. More meaningful, more passionate,” he smiled softly as he spoke.

“I agree. Though I never had one night stands, so I’m not the best person to give opinions about it.” Daphne gave her shoulders.

“Your opinion is absolutely valid to me, aşkım,” Hamid whispered, caressing her chin.

“Thank you,” she beamed, leaning closer to him until her lips pillowed on his, smiling as he responded by deepening the kiss and pressing her body against him. “You know what?” She uttered between kisses.

“What?” He murmured, his hot breath eliciting gooseflesh on her skin.

“I don’t feel like watching TV anymore.”

Hamid pulled away with a mischievous look.

“Don’t get any ideas, smart-arse. I just want to cuddle with you until we fall asleep,” she pursed her lips.

He chuckled and turned off the lights, then cradled his girlfriend in his arms.

“Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?” She asked, cupping his cheek.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? I’m a tiny person and the settee isn’t all bad.”

“Yes. You’re not sleeping on a settee when there’s plenty of space here for you to sleep with me.”

“No, there is not. We’ll have to stay glued to each other all night to fit here,” she corrected.

“Which is my favourite part of all this,” he grinned, kissing her forehead.

Daphne smiled, drawing imaginary shapes on his chest. “This is the first time we’re sleeping together.”

“I don’t know. You fell asleep several times when we did movie marathons in Ithaca,” he teased.

“It doesn’t count if you didn’t sleep too.”

“Your sofa is quite cosy, but I don’t remember being invited to stay over.”

“I know…” She chewed on a nail. “But I wanted you to stay.”

“Did you?”

“Yes! I wanted you to stay every single time you tucked me in bed, kissed my cheek and left.”

“Excuse me?” He stared at her confused. “How do you even know that? You were asleep, weren’t you?”

She shook her head grinning.

He gasped, feigning shock. “You lied to me.”

“Sorry,” she replied coyly.

“I will once you tell me why you didn’t ask me to stay.”

Daphne gaped at him, brushing her fingertips softly on his features before speaking. “Because I was afraid of going too fast. I want you ever since we went to the drive-in, but I told myself it was just a crush and fought against it. Every time you asked me out, I thought about saying no, but I wanted to see you and the more I know you, the harder it gets to resist you. I’m still scared of going too fast, by the way. But I want you. And sleeping with you tonight is bittersweet to me because I’ve been dreaming about this for almost two months, yet we’re here on a hospital bed with you wearing a CAM boot so you won’t hurt your ankle on your sleep.”

Hamid lied on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling for several minutes. “You like me. You truly like me…” He blurted.

“That’s putting it mildly,” she simpered.

“I knew that was something about the way you kiss me,” he mused as if thinking out loud, touching his own lips softly. “But at some point, I thought I was seeing what I wanted to see.”

“I wasn’t playing hard to get on purpose,” she frowned. “I just didn’t know what to do with all these feelings.”

He shifted on the bed to look at her. “It’s okay. I still think you’re worth the wait, aşkım.”

Pulling him by the neck, she brought his lips to hers, revelling in the warmth of his body under the covers and feeling him smile into the kiss. After another lingering kiss, her hand wandered up, playing with his hair.

He let out a yawn. “Are you trying to make me sleep?”

“Maybe?”

He chuckled. “I can’t sleep now. I still need to know one thing.”

“What?”

“You said you’ve dreamt about this moment and I want to know how you imagined our first time sleeping together would be like,” he smiled slyly.

“Hamid…” She buried her face on his chest.

“If you tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.”

“Okay, but let’s keep it PG-13, please.”

“Well, this is hard enough as it is, so…” He shrugged. “Sure. No explicit details.”

“Thank you,” she cleared her throat. “I thought it would’ve happened back in Ithaca after one of our movie nights. I’d fall asleep as usual and you’d carry me to bed. But instead of letting you leave, I’d hold your hand and ask you to stay. So you’d join me in bed and cuddle with me until we drift off.”

“Hmm… I don’t see why you were so shy to tell me this. Nothing happens.”

“Because I stopped the story right there on purpose.”

“So it’d happen in the middle of the night?” He grinned.

She nodded, looking down.

“How?”

“We agreed to no explicit details!” She hissed.

“I didn’t say it has to be explicit. You can simply tell me who initiates it and how. Please?” Hamid gave her his winning smile.

“Fine,” Daphne shook her head, but her lips curled up. “I would.”

“You?” His brows went up in a mix of amusement and surprise.

“My turf, my rules.”

“Fair enough. How?”

“I’d wake up and start to kiss your cheeks, your neck, your shoulders. Then you’d wake up, kiss me back and we would go from there.”

“This is a nice dream,” he said, caressing her back.

“Thanks. Now tell me yours.”

A slow smile played on his lips as he began to speak. “I’d invite you to join me on one of my business trips. Somewhere with a breathtaking view like New York, Tokyo, Sydney or Rio. But you’d arrive later and text me when you’re in our hotel suite. I’d leave everything behind to meet you there and find you gazing out the city. I’d rush to wrap my arms around you and kiss you until we were both breathless.”

“I assume the sleeping part would come after that, but I was wondering,” she nibbled her bottom lip. “We would do it right there against the window or we would move to the bed?”

“I thought you didn’t want explicit details,” he grinned.

“This is not so explicit.”

“It is because knowing where makes it easier to imagine positions, but okay,” he chortled. “Both.”

“Both?”

“You don’t think I’ll be completely satisfied if I can only make you come once, do you?”

Her mouth fell open as heat rose on her skin, making her cheeks and cleavage flush.

“I think we need to finish this conversation right here,” he suggested, still smiling.

“Agreed,” she mumbled.

Adjusting themselves on the bed, their arms tightened the embrace as the two of them relished each other’s company.

“Hamidciğim?”

“Mmm?”

“I hope our dreams come true soon,” she murmured, stifling a yawn.

He stroked her hair gently and sighed. “Me too.”

_____

¹ Mom

² My dear Hamid


End file.
